Lawson was a joy to care for on the patient ward. He sought treatment for a large, benign tumor affecting his upper jaw. His tumor was ameloblastoma which develops in the jaw, often at the site of the third molar, and may involve tissue from the eye sockets or sinuses. Ameloblastoma is formed from remnants of cells that, under normal circumstances, develop into tooth enamel. Lawson's tumor continued to grow over the course of 4 years. He arrived on the ship with a piece of cloth tied around the back of his head to hide the tumor. Individuals with disfiguring conditions such as ameloblastoma are
often cast away from their villages, viewed as being cursed or punished by ancestral spirits or gods for something they or a family member has done. They often live isolated lives in hiding, apart from their family and village which is especially difficult in a culture which so greatly values community and interdependence. Ameloblastoma tragically kills its victims who are unable to receive surgery slowly and painfully through starvation and suffocation, by eventually occluding the mouth and throat. Lawson received surgery to remove his maxilla.
His new smile says it all. Here Lawson departs the ship in his traditional dress, ready to reunite with his daughters. I feel so blessed to be able to participate in all that God is doing to show His love to West Africa. Thank you for your prayers and support to make this work possible.
Here in Togo in meeting translators and patients on the wards, I began to notice many reoccuring names such as Yaovi, Kossi and Komlan. One day I asked one of the translators about the meaning of his name and he told me that many people in Togo are given the day of the week in which they were born as one of their names, either as a first or middle name. He asked me what day of the week I was born on to which I replied, "I don't know." "You don't know?!?" he said, quite surprised. After I little internet calendar research, I learned that I was born on Tuesday. My Togolese name in the Ewe language would be Abla. I soon discovered that my good friend Marianne is also born on Tuesday as is our friend Geraldo. We began a tradition of Happy Tuesday dinners together up on Deck 7 every week featuring locally grown coconut or pineapple.
